China to unveil new leadership line-up as Xi cements power

[webfact]

China to unveil new leadership line-up as Xi cements power

 

(Front row, L to R) Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) Zhang Dejiang, former Chinese President Hu Jintao, Chinese President Xi Jinping, former President Jiang Zemin, and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, are seen during the opening. REUTERS/Aly Song

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's ruling Communist Party reveals its new leadership line-up on Wednesday when President Xi Jinping introduces his Politburo Standing Committee, culminating a week-long party congress.

 

A key measure of Xi's rising influence leading the world's second-largest economy will be how many of his allies are installed on the Standing Committee, the apex of power, which is currently made up of seven people, all men, and headed by Xi, who is also party and military chief.

 

Five members are expected to retire due to an unwritten rule limiting new five-year terms to those under 68.

One of the five, a close Xi ally, the anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan, 69, was left off the new Central Committee, which elects the Standing Committee, but he could get another job a few months down the line, sources have said.

 

The new line-up will be announced around midday at the first plenum of the congress. The congress itself formally ended on Tuesday, with Xi having his political theory written into the party's constitution, putting him in the same company as the founder of modern China, Mao Zedong.

 

Who gets on the new Standing Committee remains a closely guarded secret until Xi leads them out before the media in a room inside central Beijing's Great Hall of the People, where all top party events take place.

 

Names in contention include vice-premier Wang Yang, Xi advisers Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning, Shanghai party chief Han Zheng, Guangdong province party boss Hu Chunhua and Zhao Leji, who runs the powerful organisation department that oversees personnel decisions such as promotions and demotions.

 

Other contenders include Chen Miner, who heads the party in the southwestern city of Chongqing; Beijing party boss Cai Qi; and Jiangsu province party boss Li Qiang, all of whom are close to Xi. Chen and Cai have enjoyed meteoric rises up the party ranks.

 

Premier Li Keqiang is the only other member of the current Standing Committee apart from Xi who will remain, unless he is unexpectedly left off, which seems unlikely.

 

Previous party congresses have anointed successors for the roles of party head and premier, with Xi and Li both vaulting on to the Standing Committee in 2007 before they were then further promoted to their current roles in 2012.

 

Speculation has swirled in Beijing this week that Xi may break with precedent and not appoint an obvious successor, who would have to be young enough to serve three consecutive terms in the Standing Committee.

 

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Benjamin Kang Lim; Editing by Nick Macfie)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-10-25

 

[craigt3365]

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/10/24/asia/china-xi-jinping-thought/index.html

 

Quote

"Xi Jinping now has an institutional guarantee of support. He can be emperor for life -- staying in power as long as his health allows," said Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Center for China Studies.

He's also supported the biggest crackdown on free speech in decades. 

[Johnnyngai]

I hope he doesn't return China to the awful cultural revolution times of yesteryear.

Chairman Mao was the producer and director of the cultural revolution.    

[craigt3365]

5 minutes ago, Johnnyngai said:

I hope he doesn't return China to the awful cultural revolution times of yesteryear.

Chairman Mao was the producer and director of the cultural revolution.    

Let's hope not!

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao_Zedong

Quote

Conversely, his autocratic totalitarian regime has been vastly condemned for overseeing mass repressions and destruction of religious and cultural artifacts and sites, which through arbitrary executions, purges and forced labor caused an estimated 40 to 70 million deaths, which would rank his tenure as the top incidence of excess mortality in human history.

 

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, Johnnyngai said:

I hope he doesn't return China to the awful cultural revolution times of yesteryear.

Chairman Mao was the producer and director of the cultural revolution.    

Like Mao Xi will be enshrined in China's new constitution with more power than Mao.

Xi will become essentially China's new emperor.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/24/xi-jinping-mao-thought-on-socialism-china-constitution

 

[Publicus]

Yes, Xi is a Maoist through and through. Surpress and repress everything and do power plays as your main job. Wang Qishan who is Xi's corruption guy is out (for now) which means Xi isn't as powerful yet as he wants to be. Xi's so-called corruption campaign of the past 4-5 years has purged the provinces of Xi's Party enemies, i.e., political reformers.

 

Xi's father was a general with Mao which is how Xi grew up, i.e., Mao was the Chinese God and the PLA was Supreme. Xi has named himself commander in chief of the armed forces which he was anyway but Xi wanted the title to further bamboozle people and to be the China equivalent of Potus. Xi hasn't served a day in the PLA and I wouldn't be surprised if the mentally slow Xi awarded himself the CCP equivalent of the purple heart. Also bizarre is that during the Cultural Revolution both Xi and his general father were purged to the countryside, later retrieved and restored by the PLA. Xi owes his career to the PLA which reveals the root of Xi's aggression throughout the region to include the South China Sea. Xi's wife spends her time traveling around singing to and entertaining the troops (which explains the rates of mass desertion immediately before her appearances hah!)

 

Xi and PLA hard core Pary loyalists have caught and stopped two coup attempts by high ranking PLA generals instigated by Xi's mortal enemy, the former president and eternal emperor Jiang Zemin. Xi acting in the guise of anti-corruption has cleared out Jiang's people to include Jiang's son from his powerful position of communications minister (internet) but he still can't nail the ogre Jiang himself who in his 90s is still mentally and politically agile. The hapless former president Hu Jintao is Jiang's persistent target stuck between Xi and Jiang but Hu gets protection from Xi given Jiang is the common enemy of both and because Hu can still help Xi whom he always favored.

 

Recall when in 2012 Xi was the rising new president he disappeared for seven days in a complete blackout of his whereabouts and what was going on. Reliable word is that that was Jiang's first coup attempt to head off Xi before Xi could begin his new adventures. Jiang's second coup attempt by still loyal generals in 2014 was a last ditch effort to stop Xi but it failed too. Xi has since reorganized all the provincial and Beijing military commands to his liking. It's the biggest open secret in PRC that Xi wants at least 20 years in the job that is limited to ten years (two five years terms). Mao would be proud. As would Xi's father.

 

It is no surprise either that Xi and Trump have a common understanding and a promising working relationship despite the commotion over North Korea. Xi has in fact scaled it down in the South China Sea and he's gone silent and still toward Japan. One of the first things Xi will do now is to reorganize the Taiwan Affairs office to make it more friendly toward Pres. Tsai Ing-wen and her independence party that also controls the parliament for the first time. CCP Boyz need to ease the concerns on Taiwan that are drawing it ever closed to Trump and his savvy but radical China advisers in the WH who want to shatter everything by establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. As Xi begins his second five years as dictator in chief Hong Kong has released on bail young protest leaders jailed during summer for the Umbrella Movement that shut down the city center for almost three months in 2014. CCP Boyz know they need to ease up on HKG too.

 

Xi has also caved to the Party that has shifted under him to get tougher on Kim Jong Un. Xi had been the last holdout to go easy on Pyongyang lest things fall apart there. While Americans talk in conflicted terms about regime change or nuking 'em all the CCP Boyz are interested in changing one guy and one guy only over there. Kim's gotta figure as we all do that where there's a will there's a way. Xi is anyway going to have to do something about Kim so the only question is what, when, how. The Boyz know if they don't do something the U.S. is likely to do something nobody will like.

 

It is important to recognize that Xi and Trump don't have a hard time getting inside the head of the other. While Trump flaunts his madness and loves it, Xi and the CCP Boyz know they have to keep their equally wild stuff in the closet and to cloak it at all times. The Boyz know perception is reality.

Edited October 25, 2017 by Publicus
May you live in interesting times.

[Publicus]

Good news but mostly bad news on the sweeping five new appointments to the 7-member standing committee to which the only ones to return are Xi and the English fluent PM and CCP lawyer Li Keqiang. 

 

As noted elsewhere, Li Zhanshu, Zhao Leji, Han Zheng, Wang Huning and Wang Yang were promoted, replacing five retiring members including anti-corruption chief Wang Qishan, a key Xi ally.

 

Three contending pro Maoist pals of Xi were failed candidates: the Shanghai CCP chief Han Zheng, the Party head of Chongqing Chen Miner, and the Party Puppet Master of Beijing Cai Qi. It's four Xi pals counting the so called anti-corruption guy Wang Qishan who technically had to retire because of age (68 max) but who is counting on Xi to find something off the committee for him, such as maybe personal adviser on party provincial affairs. 

 

Boss of the huge Chongqing City in the southwest, Chen Miner was never a serious contender. Xi putting forward Chen's name was to enhance the young rookie's profile. Xi appointed Chen after arresting the Chongqing powerful boss Bo Xilai for coup plotting and scheming. Xi found out about the coup plot when Bo's chief of police showed up in the middle of the night at the U.S. Consulate in Chengdu city begging for asylum. CCP armed security police forces closed the Consulate area for blocks around and out until the U.S. gave up the chief cop and wobbly coup supporter to CCP justice. Bo, his chief and some generals are rotting with other plotters in an iced over old prison on the Chinese side of Siberia. The thingy though that ticked off ordinary Chinese wuz Bo's son at Harvard and his Ferrari full of hot babes, which is all that the people of the People's Republic knew of any of it. Like father like son btw. Xi's wife is with him for murdering a British businessman by poisoning his gin and tonics, as revealed by an autopsy several years after the fact by the demand of the UK government.

 

The always high profile Shanghai boss, this one being Han Zheng, got screwed out of a position because Shanghai is the base of Xi's ferocious enemy Jiang Zemin the former president and unrepentant ogre. One can like Xi's plastered on smiley face but nobody likes Jiang's heart of coal. Jiang doesn't ever pretend. 

 

Xi doesn't need his so-called anti corruption guy Wang Qishan any more cause Wang made enemies everywhere bulldozing Party reformers Xi ordered purged. Wang has more enemies than than Trump could ever inspire against him. The new personnel and promotions boss Zhao Leji has little bulldozing left to do anyhow.

 

The one bright note is Wang Yang winning appointment after five years as third vice-PM and before that the governor of China's California, Guangdong province next to Hong Kong eastward to the Strait of Taiwan. Guangdong is rich, has quality education, a huge middle class and upper middle class and it is the center of political reform in CCP-PRC. Wang is very friendly toward USA and EU and is highly regarded in both environs abroad. He runs his always hot lines of private and personal communication with Western leaders and the CCP Boyz 24/7.

 

Wang marks the stark contrast to Xi's Boyz who stiff arm their counterparts in USA and EU by not talking to 'em away from the table. Xi's Boyz say nothing to Western diplomats or corporate chiefs whether it's in the elevators, in the halls, on the sidelines or in the men's room etc. Xi and his people keep their distance and their silence in the presence of Westerners. They don't interact with our guys except in formal and official ways. Xi and his Boyz are afraid some plague might rub off on 'em, such as democracy to name one such menace. Or, even worse, human rights. They know it tends to happen. Heaven forbid.

[boomerangutang]

I look at that photo, and I see a sea of rubber stamps in the shape of old men.

[Publicus]

Very wealthy old men at that.

 

The figures I've seen from Western good governance type organizations is $5 Trillion of corruption in China since year 2000.

 

The wife of former PM Wen Jiabao the reformer ran the jewelry business in all of the CCP, from imports to licenses to sales and prices. Then there's gold which is hoarded in China for millennia anyhow. 

 

Xi Jinping is said to be a wealthier man than Donald Trump even if Trump, ahem, might not be lying. Xi, Trump and Putin carry their corruption markets in their back pockets.

Edited October 25, 2017 by Publicus
Live long and prosper.

[Publicus]

 

Xi Jinping has in fact broken precedent by failing to identify a designated successor at the beginning of this term he's just begun.

 

The Party practice is that a designated successor be named by this time. Former prez Hu Jintao did in fact name Xi as his own successor in the final year of Hu's first of two five year terms. Xi did succeed the mental eunuch Hu, as we well know.

 

All of the appointments this week to the 7 member Standing Committee of the 25 member Politburo are only several years away from the standard retirement age of 68. So none of 'em are eligible to succeed Xi (unless more Party practices are ignored which they won't be). 

 

The two age eligible guyz who have the most initial Party support to succeed Xi were unsuccessful candidates for appointment to the Standing Committee. They are Hu Chun-hua 54 and Chen Miner 57 both of whom got the coveted consolation prize of being voted to the Politburo. Hu Chun-hua is governor of the premier $1.5 Trillion GDP Guangdong province which is the CCP center of political and economic reform adjacent to Hong Kong  and which extends eastward to the Taiwan Strait. Chen Miner is Party chairman of Chong-qing city which is huge, developed, and dominates the southwest of CCP near Vietnam. It's helpful to think of Guangdong province as a sort of California and Chong-qing as a kind of Houston times ten or as a Seattle for its relative quality. 

 

Some shameless CCP syncophant stated these developments in a truly comical way as reported yesterday in the Hong Kong South China Morning Post....

 

"If nobody is appointed, the first explanation is not that Xi is trying to stay on, but rather that there is no one seen as a suitable replacement," Trey McArver, co-founder of Beijing-based research firm Trivium China, said. 

 

As was referenced in scrolling Xi has put into the Party constitution that he is the Party "Core." Xi is the third such CCP dictator enshrined in this way -- the previous two are Mao and Deng Xiaoping. So there is no question Xi Jinping has made himself emperor in a business suit of the new CCP dynasty of junior emperors in business suits, and that Xi fully intends to be emperor for life. CCP are a new and nervous dynasty of only 68 years that needs a dominant figure to assert its needed stability (avg life of a Chinese dynasty = 250 years). After Xi's five year purge of political reformer opponents under the guise of an anti-corruption campaign there are few who remain to oppose this. 

 

One significant reason Chinese dynasties fail in succession one after the other is that the emperor is never the sharpest knife in the drawer. And that his drawer is full of other dullards all around him. It wuz back in 2012 that the long time China hand Perry Link at UC put it this way: "Xi Jinping is a man of modest intellectual gifts." I prefer to add that Xi with his plastered face smiley is in fact mentally slow. Dim as a 40 watt bulb.

Edited October 27, 2017 by Publicus
Eunuchs, eunuchs, eunuchs.

[Srikcir]

47 minutes ago, Publicus said:

Dim as a 40 watt bulb

But when compared to Trump and Prayut?

Xi is more of a high lumen LED.

[Publicus]

 

4 hours ago, Srikcir said:

But when compared to Trump and Prayut?

Xi is more of a high lumen LED.

 

I have posted that Xi and Trump have very little difficulty getting into the head of the other. Neither is a general in a monarchy btw.

 

The Chinese always lie low and keep their divisions and madness to themselves and away from the world to see, know, understand. Trump loves to flaunt his madness and Americans do most of our stuff out in the open.

 

If Xi and Trump were to take the notorious IQ test referenced recently then Rex Tillerson would go to the head of the class. It is well known Chinese leaders holler red faced and throw things at one another to include throwing one another around, but they do it behind the high and thick walls of the huge Party-Government compound ZhongNanHai off Tiananmen Square. Coup attempts, arrests of plotters and their imprisonment are regular but the Western MSM prefer not to publicize 'em much or at all for the sake of a dubious peace and tranquility with CCP censors going forward.

 

Shown at left by U.S. military satellite is ZhongNanHai CCP residence and governing compound containing two ponds inside walls next to the Forbidden City. The Great Hall of the People is out of the photo left bottom. Xi Jinping lives here (upper left corner) and he has his offices here, as do the major CCP-PRC ruling officials. Tunnels connect all three grounds and buildings.

 

 

We know where you live President Xi. Same place as Mao and Deng lived.

Edited October 27, 2017 by Publicus

[Publicus]

ZhongNanHai is the CCP residence and ruling compound in central Beijing.

 

 

The ponds are Nan and Hai. The Zhong means center, also, middle. The Chinese name of China is Zhong Guo, meaning of course central country aka: middle kingdom. (The Chinese have a vivid and roaming imagination as we have seen over millennia of failures.) At any rate, the Chinese name of USA is Mei Guo, meaning one of two things or both simultaneously...

 

...mei means beauty but it can also mean not; mei yo for instance means no....mei li means beautiful; mei shi refers to a delicacy. So mei guo can be somewhat ambiguous but it sounds respectable overall. However, anyone who's lived and worked in the PRC can attest that when the Chinese people ask you where you are from, and you say mei guo, they are pleased to meet you -- enthusiastic often. My Chinese is atrocious so that's about as far as I ever got into it. The Chinese gave me their name of hao. In Thailand my close Thai friends called me the Thai variant of Chinese Hao, i.e., Porn (which is also what my friends back home called me hah!)

 

So anyway, in China one is either a yang qui zi which means foreign devil or we are lao wei which means you're an ok foreigner. Lao wei is more common by far these dayze. My own experience is that being a fahlang in the former LOS is much preferred (farang of course). Others may have their own take on these things.

 

 

This view of Zhongnanhai is from above the only gate which is guarded by the People's Armed Police. Highrise buildings are forbidden in this district of Beijing whether inside ZhongNanHai but outside of it especially.

 

 

Peace.

Edited October 27, 2017 by Publicus